


Family Portrait

by UchiHime



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Child Neglect, Harry Potter Next Generation, Incest, Infidelity, M/M, Mpreg, Next-Gen, Post-Hogwarts, Slash, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-14
Packaged: 2017-11-20 23:54:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UchiHime/pseuds/UchiHime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At some point, the happy family has to stop pretending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mother

Albus-Severus Potter knew it would have been too much to ask for his mother- or Mummy-Bitch as he had so aptly nicknamed her- to show up for his birthday dinner. He had convinced himself it was a reasonable request; it was his seventeenth birthday and he could have asked for anything in the world, but all he had wanted was a nice dinner with a few close friends and family. That wasn't unreasonable at all, especially since the majority of the family got together for a family dinner one weekend a month anyway. And it wasn't like his birthday fell in the middle of a workweek or anything- it was on a Saturday this year and at the beginning of summer vacation. Everyone else who had been invited made it (even his Uncle Charlie and his fiancé had made the trip all the way from Romania to be there).

The only one who hadn't arrived for the occasion had been dear old Mummy-Bitch. Albus supposed he should not have been  _too_ disappointed; this wasn't anything new after all. Out of all the birthdays he had ever had, Ginny had only ever came to four of them- five if you count the ten minutes she spent at his eleventh birthday before slipping out when everyone's back was turned. Albus often wondered if Ginny had attended his actual birthing, but then he remembered she was obligated to be there as she was the one having him. It really was no secret that Albus was  _not_ Ginny's favorite child. In fact, he felt it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she hated him. Not that it mattered anymore; he wasn't very fond of his Mummy-Bitch either.

Other than the lack of a certain- unimportant- family member, Albus thought his birthday dinner had gone pretty well. At the very least it had served its purpose: getting his family used to Al's best friend Scorpius Malfoy attending family functions. What's a Slytherin without ulterior motives after all?

It wasn't until later that evening, after everyone but Scorpius, James, and Al's cousin Rose, had left did the evening hit a sour note, because that was when Mummy-Bitch decided to come home.

Albus was in his room with Scorpius, laying on the bed and discussing things ranging from their upcoming final year at Hogwarts to their more distant future after school ended. They had left the door open because Rose and Lily had been coming in and out at odd moments until the girls settled down for a game of Exploding Snap with James. Al and Scorpius' conversation had just transcended to some light kissing, when the telltale chime of the Floo activating down in the parlor was heard. This was followed by the sound of Ginny Potter letting out a surprised squeak before saying, "Oh, Harry, you scared me. What are you doing down here?"

Albus sighed and broke off his kiss with Scorpius to hear what would be said next. Al knew perfectly well why his father was down in the parlor at this moment, and he was sure Ginny knew as well. One of Mummy-Bitch's little talents was her ability to act stupid when it suited her needs; at this moment her needs consisted of bypassing the coming confrontation with her husband, while at the same time making herself seem completely innocent of all wrongdoings. Harry didn't even bother answering his wife's question, for he knew the game just as well as Albus did. "Where were you today, Ginny?"

Albus could picture the phony look of confusion on his mother's face when she said, "Paris, of course. Astoria invited me to go shopping with her. Though the strangest thing happened when I was trying to buy this cute little dress I saw; they said my access to the Potter family vaults had been suspended. Thank Merlin Astoria owed me some galleons or I wouldn't have been able to get anything today. Now the question is: why'd you freeze my vault access, dear?"

"Ginny, please stop playing this game with me," Al's father said in an even tone of voice. "Did you conveniently forget what today was?"

"Of course not. It's Albus' birthday, right?"

"If you remember, then where  _were_ you!"

"I was busy!" At this point the raised voices had brought Lily, James, and Rose to Albus' room- since it was closest to the stairs- to listen to the building argument.

"They still go at it like this?" James asked, taking a seat at Al's desk while the girls piled on the bed with Albus and Scorpius.

"More so since you left," Lily said softly. When James had graduated and moved out the previous year, it seemed a breaking point for the Potter parents and they no longer attempted to avoid fighting with each other.

"That's none of you business!" Ginny yelled, bringing their attention back to the fighting adults downstairs. Harry had asked her something too soft for them to hear and that had been her sharp reply.

The five teens sat silently listening to the volley of heated words going back and forth, before Albus could no longer stand it. "Well, I'm not sitting here listening to this!" He declared, hopping of the bed and beginning to stuff clothes and other things into an old backpack. "Let's have this sleepover at your place, Scor."

"Sure," Scorpius said. "You guys want to come? The manor is more than big enough." He offered Al's siblings and cousin.

"Naw," James said following the other boys' lead and ignoring the ever-growing shouting match downstairs. "Think I'll head back to my flat. Lils, Rose, you two coming with?"

"Sounds good," Rose hopped off the bed and grabbed Lily's arm, forcing her to turn her attention away from the ongoing dispute. "Come on, Lily, let's get our things."

"Right," Lily said forcing a smile and letting her cousin lead her from the room- their parents' arguing always affected Lily more than the boys, perhaps because she was the youngest and more sensitive of three.

"Bye guys!" Albus yelled after finishing his packing.

"You two have fun," James said with a knowing grin on his face. Albus gave his brother a mock salute, before turning on the spot, and disapparating from the room.

There were anti-appartation wards around Malfoy Manor, so Albus appeared right outside the manor's gates and waited for Scorpius to arrive. Not fifteen seconds later, Albus heard the  _Crack_ of appartation signifying the arrival of his blond counterpart.

"Bout time you got here," Al teased, snaking his arms around Scorpius waist and pulling the boy flush against his body. "I've been waiting forever."

"Do you need another lecture on virtues?" Scorpius teased back. "You know patience is one."

"Virtues?" Albus asked, trailing kisses along the side of Scorpius' neck. "Never heard the like."

"Albus," Scor moaned as the black haired boy slid a hand down and gripped the crotch of his pants. "Can we take this to my room, or do you want my father catching us in a compromising position?"

Albus groaned and released his hold on Scorpius. "Killed the mood," he complained.

Albus and Scorpius had been best friends since they were eleven and shared a dorm in Slytherin. Their fourth year Albus and Scorpius had both come out as gay to their respective families, but it wasn't until their fifth year that they had transitioned from best friends to boyfriends. The only ones who knew about this change were James, Lily, and Rose; all of which had been sworn to secrecy until the boys got up the courage to tell their fathers. Both of them dreaded that day since their fathers weren't exactly on civil terms; they hadn't been speaking to each other for thirteen years. Unfortunately Albus and Scorpius would be telling them sooner than they had originally had planned due to the latest monkey-wrench Fate had decided to throw into their' lives.

Scorpius was three and a half months pregnant with Albus' baby.

"Come on, Lover-Boy." Scorpius grabbed Albus' hand and pulled him through the wards surrounding the manor. Now that they were inside the wards it was safe for them to apparate around the grounds and house. Still holding his boyfriend's hand, Scorpius turned on the spot, and side-alonged them straight to his room.

"Your aim has gotten better," Albus commented when they landed in the center of Scorpius' bed. Scorpius smiled and only had time to grab his wand and enforce the privacy charms on the room before Albus was attacking his mouth.

The kiss started as a furious clash of lips, teeth, and tongue, but it soon melted into gentle movements of lips, slow caresses of tongue, and teasing nips of teeth. Albus made quick work of removing their clothes, before trailing a string of kisses down Scorpius neck and across his chest. One hand stroked the blond's cock, while the other assisted in teasing dusty pink nipples to hardness.

Scorpius moaned as Albus continued his path down his chest and nuzzled his slightly protruding belly. Al paused there a moment, cheek resting against the place where his baby was growing inside his lover. Finally Albus pressed a gentle kiss to the area, before continuing his descent down until he came head to head with his target.

Scorpius let out a long low moan as Albus licked up his shaft and wrapped his lips around the head; Albus grinned and slid his head down until he felt the tip of the length pressing against the back of his throat. "Albus," Scorpius moaned, twisting his fingers in his lover's silky ebony hair. Albus slid back up the shaft and released it from his mouth with an obscene 'pop'. "Al," Scorpius whimpered in protest.

Albus just grinned at him before fishing around the bag he'd brought with him. Scorpius couldn't help but moan at the thoughts of what Al was going to do with the tube of lubricant he pulled out. Al continued to grin as he poured the lube over the fingers of one hand, before leaning in and engaging Scorpius in another kiss.

Scorpius knew the kiss was meant to distract him from the fingers slipping inside him and stretching him, and the distraction worked for a while: until Albus added the third finger and the familiar burning sensation it caused dwindled in comparison to the pleasure he felt when Al so expertly struck his prostate. It wasn't long after that Albus rubbed lube into his own cock and slipped into the familiar velvet heat of Scor's tight hole.

Albus moaned at the delicious feeling of being inside of his lover; Scorpius let out a low whimper- of pleasure or pain, Albus wasn't sure. Eventually Scor gave his consent for Al to move, and Albus set a slow steady pace in and out of his lover, hitting Scorpius' prostate with every other thrust. Scorpius moaned and thrust back against Albus. Al gripped his love's hips and continued his tortuously slow pace; his green eyes were glazed over with pleasure as he watched Scorpius. Albus loved the sight of the other boy writhing beneath him, come completely undone from the pleasure, and looking deliciously debauched. This was a Scorpius only he got to see; they were each other's first and only. All too soon, Albus hit his peak and spilled his seed inside his lover; triggering Scorpius' own orgasm.

Albus pulled out of his lover and collapsed on the bed next to him. They lay there silently, reveling in the afterglow of their release. After a while, Albus shifted so that his head was resting against Scor's pregnant belly. Scorpius absentmindedly carded his fingers through Al's hair, and waited for what he knew would come next.

"I don't understand why she hates me so much!" Albus said after another moment's silence. This was a familiar scene; ever since they had become friends at age eleven whenever Albus' parents had a particularly bad argument he would go to Scorpius. Scorpius would distract him for a while, until Al eventually started ranting about how much Mummy-Bitch hated him. "I've never done anything to warrant such treatment from her. All I've ever done is try to please her. What the hell did I do wrong?"

Albus didn't really want an answer to that question, because he already knew: he had done absolutely  _nothing_  wrong. Mummy-Bitch just hated for no reason! Even as a child, she had made obvious her dislike of him: buying James and Lily presents but conveniently "losing" his, taking James and Lily places but leaving him behind, never attending his birthday parties, ignoring him when he spoke to her. Just little things like buying him banana ice cream when he had asked for strawberry because he hated bananas.

He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, because what could a six year old have done to make his mother 'accidentally' lock him out the house after dark? What could a four year old have done for his mother to not welcome him into her bed after he had a nightmare? And then there was the look! The look of pure loathing and disgust Ginny got whenever she looked at her middle child. What could he have possibly done to deserve such a look? No child deserved such a look!

If not for his dad and siblings- and later Scorpius- Albus probably would have fallen into hating himself a long time ago. He  _had_  fallen into depression at one point: when he was eleven and he had just been sorted into Slytherin. His father had told him he was proud no matter what house he was in; his mother hadn't even answered his letters.

Scorpius had pulled him out of depression, and after that Albus gave up on trying to please Ginny. He swore he would never shed another tear over his dear old Mummy-Bitch. Easier said than done, when he had to sit back and watch her play mother of the year to James and Lily while completely ignoring he existed.

Despite all the lies he told himself about not caring anymore, Albus still yearned to make his mother love him. It wasn't until fourth year when he had come out as gay to his family and she had looked at him as if he'd said he was becoming the next Dark Lord, that he realized it was impossible to make her love him. And it wasn't even like he was the only gay person in the family! His Uncle Charlie was gay (he was even engaged to a man named Rodger Davies), Teddy was at least bisexual, and Lily was try-sexual (she would try anything). It wasn't fair!

After fourth year, Albus became completely numb to anything and everything Ginny Potter could do or say to him. He had found happiness elsewhere, without Mummy-Bitch. But still he had hoped; today had been one of the most important days of his life. It was his seventeenth birthday! The day he came of age. The day she no longer had to pretend to care for him. She could have had the courtesy to at least show up for that! She could have put forth the effort to  _act_  like she loved him; just this one last time. Was that so hard!

All of this Albus vented with his head resting against Scorpius stomach; the blond listening intently, still carding fingers through Al's hair. "And the worst part is the pretending!" Al said. "My parents' marriage has been down the drain for years now, our nuclear family is in pieces, and yet we pretend to have this perfect happy life for the rest of the world to ogle and envy. Dad doesn't have the guts to divorce Mummy-Bitch even though he doesn't love her, Mummy-Bitch is using dad for his money and name, James only comes home when it can't be avoided, Lily had slept with half of Hogwarts, and then there's me. I'm the reason the rest fell apart! Scor, when we get married, promise me if we ever come to the point my parents are at; you'll divorce me without second thought. And if I ever treat our child like Mummy-Bitch treats me, you'll beat the shit out of me and leave me for dead."

"That won't ever happen," Scorpius assured him.

"We don't know that, yet! Just promise me Scor, please," Albus begged, sitting up and looking at his lover with pleading green eyes.

Scorpius sighed. "Fine, I promise, but it goes both ways."

"Thank you, Scor." Albus leaned in and place a gentle kiss on his love's lips. "You're all the family I will ever need, Scorpius. Just you, me, and Baby."

"My mother knows about the baby," Scorpius said out of nowhere.

"What? How?" Al looked surprised. "I thought we agreed not to tell anyone yet."

"I know, but you know how I spent the first week of summer with her?" Albus nodded, Scor's parents had gotten an divorce when he was five- it strangely coincided with the time their fathers stopped speaking to each other, and Astoria and Ginny had become such good friends- and Scorpius spent a little of his vacations with her every year. "Well she got the brilliant idea of looking through my things. I was still suffering morning sickness at the time, and you know how unique the morning sickness potions are." Albus nodded again; Scor had shown him the potions when he'd first got them: they were a lavender color, smelled like almonds, tasted like oranges, with a distinct mint after-taste. No other potions came in such a strange combination of traits.

"Well mother found my potions," Scor continued, "she confronted me about it, and I saw not reason to lie. She doesn't know who the father is though, and she promised to leave it to me to tell my father."

Albus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Suppose it's not you fault."

"Damn skippy it's not my fault."

Albus chuckled and kissed Scorpius on the nose. "You're so adorable when you're being defensive."

"Stop being a Hufflepuff and get ready for bed."

"Right, love you, Scor."

"Love you, too, Al."

"Now who's the Hufflepuff?"

"Still you."

 


	2. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family's secrets can tear it apart.

It was lunchtime on Saturday the following week. Harry had been called in to work. Ginny was out doing whatever it was she did. Lily had gone shopping with Rose and Aunt Hermione. James had never returned from going home to his flat the previous week. So Albus had the house to himself, and as such he had decided to invite Scorpius over for some fun.

After spending the morning lounging around Albus' bedroom, talking, and just enjoying each other's presence, Scorpius had gotten a sudden craving for cake. Unfortunately there was no cake in the house, but after searching the pantry Albus did find a box of Muggle cake mix. One of Albus' most fond memories was on the time when he was six and Mummy-Bitch had taken James and Lily out somewhere and left Al behind. To make up for his wife's neglect, Harry had spent the whole day with Albus and the two of them had baked a cake together the Muggle way. After telling Scorpius this story, Scor called Al a Hufflepuff and demanded they get to work baking the cake before he lost his desire to do anything. That being said, the two of them started work on the cake- without magic.

It goes without saying that this quickly turned to disaster. A half hour later, Al and Scor collapsed floor in fits of giggles. The cake had finally made its way into the oven, but not before the boys had gotten flour everywhere, spilled a good potion of the cooking oil, dropped four and a half eggs (don't ask), and had eaten half the batter.

Albus couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Scorpius. The blond had batter in his hair and on the tip of his nose, a smudge of flour on his cheek, and was enjoying scooping remnants of batter from the bowl and licking it off his fingers. Scorpius looked so  _human_  with his Malfoy mask discarded and enjoying being a normal- albeit pregnant- teen. A small content smile spread across Scorpius' face as he sucked on his finger; Albus knew this would be a memory to cherish forever.

"What?" Scorpius asked, looking up at Albus with silver eyes overflowing with mirth. "You're staring."

Albus shook his head and smiled. "I never noticed how beautiful you are."

"Well of course I am. It's the Malfoy blood; we've always been beautiful people."

"Conceited git," Albus teased, reaching to dip his finger in the cake bowl.

"Mine," Scorpius said, popping Al's hand. "You love me," he added with a cheeky grin.

"I do." Albus leaned in to kiss Scorpius, but at that moment he heard the buzzer saying the cake was done, and the  _Crack_  signifying someone had just apparated in.

"Albus?" he heard his dad call from the parlor.

"In here, dad!" Al called back, pulling on a pair of oven mitts and retrieving the cake from the oven.

"What happened in here?" Harry asked, looking at the mess the two had made in amusement.

"We baked a cake," Scorpius answered with a large smile, gesturing to the cake pan Al had just set on the counter.

"I see. And why does it look like a bag of flour exploded in here?"

"We did it without magic, and Scor couldn't figure out how to open the flour bag, so he ripped it, and the result is as you see."

"Watch where you step, by the way. Al spilled cooking oil on the floor over there. It's slick."

Harry couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and his deep mellifluous chuckles filled the room. "And what made you two decide to bake a cake?" he asked through his laughter.

Scorpius shrugged. "We felt like cake."

"And you couldn't just Floo to the Burrow and ask Molly, because..."?

"It was more fun this way?"

"What do you even need flour and oil for when you're using boxed mix?"

"We couldn't find the spray, so we had to grease the pan the old fashion way."

Harry laughed again before ordering the two to "get this mess cleaned up so I can take you out for lunch , before you feel the need to try cooking something else."

"Right!" Albus and Scorpius said in unison, before pulling out their wands, casting  _Scorgify_ around the room, turning to each other, grinning, and each casting  _Scorgify_  on the other.

"All done." Albus grinned at his father.

Harry smiled and motioned the boys over. "Come on, you runts. Let's go."

"Runt?" Scorpius acted insulted. "I have you know, Mr. Potter, Albus and I are both adults now."

"Adults don't trash the kitchen trying to bake a cake with  _boxed_  cake mix. A different story all together if you were making it from scratch." Harry led them to the parlor and passed around the vase of Floo powder. "Floo to the Leaky." The boys took the proffered powdered and Floo'd in turn.

Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron was a casual affair. Harry asked Al and Scor about life, school, and relationships. Al and Scor entertained him with anecdotes on the first two subjects in order to distract him from the third- since they weren't sure if it was the right time to reveal that they're were dating, unofficially engaged, and expecting a child.

About half way through the meal Al's Uncle Charlie and his fiancé, Rodger, showed up and stopped to chat for a while.

"Why are you two still in town?" Al asked. "I thought you headed back to Romania after my birthday."

"Mom has been insisting on throwing us a 'proper engagement party'. Just an excuse for her to cook a large meal and entertain guests, but she wouldn't shut up about until we finally caved." Charlie explained, trying to steal some chips from Scorpius plate.

Scor popped the red head's hand and declared, "Mine. Eat Al's."

Charlie grinned and stole Al's chips. "The party is on Wednesday, you and your dad should totally come, Scorpius," Rodger said genially.

"Cheers. I'll talk to father about it, but I'm pretty sure spending a day in the company of a gaggle of red heads isn't high up on his to-do list."

"I'm sure he can be convinced." Charlie shot a look at Harry that Albus couldn't quite comprehend, but it caused his dad to blush and sip from his drink nervously.

"Charlie, we have to go," Rodger said.

"Right. See you lot later." Al, Scor, and Harry called their goodbyes as Charlie and Rodger took their leave. The three of them sat and chatted for a while longer, until Harry had to get back to work. Albus and Scorpius headed back to the Potter house, after swinging by Fortescue's to pick up some ice cream to go with their cake, and spent the rest of the day lounging around and being lazy.

**...**

Mummy-Bitch had decided to take Lily with her to have tea with Scor's mum the day before Charlie's engagement party. Harry had insisted he had the next day off, so he was working long hours to make up for it. This left Albus home alone again and once again decided to invite Scorpius over for the day. How their talking and goofing around had segued into them being naked on the bed, Albus wasn't sure but it seemed the natural flow of things to him.

Albus loved the feeling of being inside of Scorpius. Being surrounded by his tight hole, being clenched by his impossibly hot passage; it was bliss to Albus. It took him to levels of pleasure never before breached by mankind. Nothing else mattered as they entwined together in the most intimate of ways. Nothing could ruin this moment. He had the love of his life in his arms, clinging to him, and calling his name. He didn't need anything else.

All too soon, Albus and Scorpius met consecutive releases and Albus collapsed on top of his lover, covering his face in kisses. "I love you so much, Scorpius."

"Love you too, Al."

"How touching," a voice growled from the doorway.

All Al could think was 'oh fuck' as he turned and found a very angry Ginny Potter glaring at them as if they were the scum of the earth. He could only curse his own stupidity for not enforcing the privacy charms usually on the room when Scorpius came over. "Hi, mum," Albus said since there was nothing else he could do.

"Get your shit, and get out," Ginny spat.

"What!" Albus asked in shock, surely she wasn't kicking him out because he'd gotten caught having sex in the house? James had been caught in the same position when he was sixteen.

"You heard me. You obviously consider yourself to be an adult, doing this in my house. I'll treat you like an adult then. Adults don't live at home with their parents. Get all your things and get out."

So she really was going to use that as an excuse. Albus was suddenly ceased with an uncontrollable anger. Mummy-Bitch was really pushing it! He knew this wasn't the real reason she was kicking him out. "Right," he growled bitterly. "You've been wanting an excuse to kick me out for years! We both know you hate me! And we both know that dad-"

"Your dad's not here is he? This is my house and I say pack all of your things and get OUT!"

"This is not your house, it's my dad's! You wouldn't have two knuts to rub together if it wasn't for him."

"I'm his wife so what's his is mine!"

"For how much longer?" Ginny looked confused. "For how much longer are you his wife? We both know dad doesn't love you and sooner or later he going to get the balls to divorce you. And when he does, you're not going to have a pot or a window!"

"Albus-" Scorpius said softly.

"Harry Potter is never going to divorce me! And even if he does, until then this is still my house and I say get your shit and get the fuck out!"

"FINE!" Albus yelled, getting out of the bed and pulling on some clothes. "Come on, Scorpius." He stuffed a bag with some necessities while the blond got dressed. Albus sent one more glare in Ginny's direction, called out "Later, Mummy-Bitch!" and apparated away.

Scorpius apparated outside of Malfoy Manor's gates where Albus stood, still fuming. Without words, the blond gathered his lover into his arms and just held him until Al calmed down. "A pot or a window?" Scor asked after a few minutes had passed.

"It's a Muggle saying. A pot to piss in and a window to throw it out of."

"How crude."

Albus chuckled and Scorpius led him into the Manor grounds.

**...**

Albus watched Ginny arrive at the Burrow for Charlie's engagement party with Scorpius, Draco Malfoy, and Harry at his side. Al had tried to fire-call Harry at work the previous day after Mummy-Bitch had kicked him out, but Harry had been nowhere to be found, so Albus had only just got to tell his dad about the dispute he'd had with Mummy-Bitch (though he left out the part about exactly who he's been caught in bed with), and to put it simply: Harry was pissed.

Mummy-Bitch had barely got the chance to say hello to Gran-Molly, before Harry stormed over to her with a look to kill on his face. "Ginny Weasley, please tell me Al was lying when he said you kicked him out of  _my_ house yesterday."

"Harry dear," Ginny said with an innocent smile, "is this really the time or place for this discussion."

"Ginny, I am not playing games with you right now. Did you, or did you not, kick our son out of the house without my permission."

"No," Ginny's face twisted into the look of disgust that Albus was more than familiar with, "I kicked  _your_ son out."

"Damn it, Ginny! Do not start with that! I never treated James as anything other than my own son, the least you could do is extend Albus the same courtesy! You could at least  _try_ to hide your dislike of him!"

"No I can't, Harry! Because I don't dislike him, I hate him! He should have never been born!"

"Ginny, what's going on?" Molly asked, in a low tone- not that it mattered since the attention of the entire gathering of people was on Harry and Ginny at the moment.

"Nothing, mum. Just a domestic dispute."

Harry snorted. "Domestic dispute? That's the understatement of the century. You know what, Ginny, I can't do this anymore. I want a divorce!"

"Harry, you don't mean that!" Molly said in surprise.

"Yes I do. I should have done it eighteen years ago when-"

"Harry, we are not talking about this right now!" Ginny cut in.

"Why not, Ginny? Don't want your family to know what type of wife you are? I think it's time for them to know what you did to me."

"Harry," Ginny said testily.

"I'm not letting you weasel your way out of this again, Ginny."

"Harry, mate, what's going on?" Ron asked. "Can't we talk about this before you file for divorce?"

"There's nothing to talk about, she cheated on me!" Everyone fell silent and stared at Harry in shock. Albus knew shouldn't have been too surprise, because he knew what kind of woman his Mummy-Bitch was, but still the declaration shocked him. "She had an affair," Harry continued. "Early in our marriage, with Zacharias Smith. And that's not all. She lied to me. And she let me give James my father's name, only for me to find out later that it's not my name on his birth certificate. She let me give him my father's name and he's not even my son. I should have divorced her then."

"What?" Molly look appalled. "Ginny is that true?"

"Don't put it all on me, Harry," Ginny said. "If you're so set on putting our dirty laundry out, then keep on with the story and tell them what you did."

" _I_ didn't do anything wrong. We were split up at the time. I was filing for divorce. My wife had cheated on me, lied to me, and I'd just found out that my son wasn't even mine. We weren't together anymore and I had right to do as I please."

"Harry, you didn't-" Hermione started.

"I was drunk and depressed. I cried my woes to the man on the barstool next to me and then I slept with him- you all know I've been bisexual since Hogwarts. But I didn't do anything wrong, because I didn't cheat on you, Ginny. We weren't together anymore. And when you came crawling back, begging forgiveness, I should have told you where to shove your apolo-lies. But I'm a better person than that, aren't I?"

"Harry-"

"I took her back," Harry cut Molly off. "But then we found out I was pregnant. It was Ginny's idea to go on a 'year long holiday around the world'. She owled you all saying that she was pregnant, while in actuality I was the one carrying the child. Ginny wasn't even there when I had Albus, she was probably off sleeping with some other man. And she's been bitter ever since."

No one dared to speak at that moment. Albus' mind was racing a mile a minute. Mummy-Bitch wasn't really his mother at all, and technically James wasn't his brother. That was why Ginny hated him so much, because he wasn't her son. But then who was-

"You left out part of the story, Harry," Ginny said. "You left out the part where the man you slept with was Malfoy, and your precious little _bastard_ over there is fucking his own _brother_. But that's not the best part is it, Albus?" Ginny fixed her evil brown eyes on to Al. "Astoria told me everything. When were you planning on telling everyone Scorpius is pregnant?"


	3. Son

In the Potter house, hanging above the fireplace in the parlor, there used to be a portrait painted years ago by Dean Thomas as an anniversary gift to Harry and Ginny Potter. It was a Muggle style portrait that showed Harry Potter smiling with one arm wrapped around his wife's waist and the other hand resting on the shoulder of his son Albus Severus. Albus looked every bit his father's clone with bright green eyes shining from beneath a mess of black hair and a large toothy grin on his young face. Next to him, Lily Luna stood in a blush pink dress with her long red hair tied back with a ribbon and a look of total innocence on her face. On Lily's other side, James Sirius stood straight back and tall, with his lips tweaked in what he thought was a cool expression. And behind James, smiling as kind and innocent as Mother Theresa, stood Ginny Weasley with one arm around her husband's waist.

It was a deceptively happy scene, and had been one of Harry's most prize possessions. When Albus was nine, he had gotten overly emotional as a result of something his mother had done, and his accidental magic a struck out and burned both Albus' and Ginny's face from painting. Albus thought it poetic justice. Harry hadn't the heart to punish Albus for destroying the portrait, and the entire incident was nearly forgotten.

* * *

 

There is a theory about male-pregnancies, pure speculation for the most part but a lot of people believe it. The theory is that the reason male-pregnancies are so rare is because it can occur only between soul-mates. There's never been any proof of this, but it's commonly accepted as fact since there's never been any proof that said otherwise.

Albus truly believed that he was living proof of otherwise. Because that would mean his dad and Draco Malfoy were soul-mates. And it would also mean he and Scorpius- his brother- were soul-mates. The Fates were cruel, but surely even they couldn't be so twisted and incestuous.

* * *

 

A lot of things had come into perspective to him the day of his Uncle Charlie's engagement party. Under the judgmental eyes of his family Albus could do naught be freeze in place under the torrent of knowledge just bestowed upon him. He could barely wrap him mind around the information. Scorpius was- Scorpius was his brother and- and...

Unable to deal with all the eyes on him, Albus did the only thing his brain could function enough to come up with: he turned on the spot and apparated away.

There was a place Al liked to go when he was little every time being Ginny's unwanted child and/or Harry Potter's son got to be too much for him. It was an old abandoned tree house off the nature trail of the park near the Potter house. The only people who knew about it was his older brother, who he'd just learned wasn't his brother at all, and his dad.

Albus hadn't retreated to the tree house since he'd started Hogwarts, but he figured if there was any time to start regressing, it was now when his whole life had just turned on its side. Unfortunately he had only been in the familiar surroundings of the tree house, basking in the memories of simpler times, for about five minutes when he heard the crack of appartation signifying he was no longer alone.

Harry Potter sat himself down in the tree house next to his son and the two of them sat in silence for a while, each lost in their respective thoughts most likely gravitating around the same topics. After a while, Harry broke the silence. Albus had to close his eyes at he heard his father's voice. He knew this voice, had known it all his life, it was this voice that lulled him to sleep after nightmares, this voice whispered concern when he was injured, this voice lauded onto him praise, and reprimanded him when need be. His dad's voice was strong and filled with emotion. It would always be familiar to him, even if he would never be able to look at the man speaking the same again.

"There was always strong emotions between me and Draco Malfoy," Harry started off saying. "As children during our early years at Hogwarts we thought those emotions to be rivalry and something akin to hate. It wasn't until our sixth year that we began to see the passion between us in a new light. But despite my feelings for Draco, it was always expected of me to marry Ginny and back then I was hung up on what people thought of me. I convinced myself that I loved Ginny and that this thing with Draco was merely teenage hormones gone awry. By the time I left Hogwarts, Draco and I hadn't shared nothing more than a few passionate kisses, though the both of us wanted more. We briefly considered continuing our affair post-graduation, but we both thought the better of it.

"The beginning of my marriage with Ginny was rocky to say the least, but I thought we could make it through. If not for us, then for James. When I found out James wasn't my son- I don't know, everything just seemed to break apart and shatter into a million pieces at than moment. I started questioning everything I had ever believed in. I realized that I had never been happy with Ginny, and that I hadn't been truly happy since I ended things with Draco. When I called on him, Draco was there for me. He was newlywed at the time, but there was still so much passion between us. I will never claim that sleeping with Draco Malfoy was a mistake, nor have I ever regretted it for even a second. And you, Albus, was the best thing that ever happened to me.

"I took Ginny back because I knew it was what was expected of me and because I knew Draco and I could never really be together, especially since his wife was pregnant at the time. When I found out I was pregnant, I was in shock. Then I was just over the moon. My first thought was 'I've got to tell Draco.' My second thought was 'I can't tell Draco'. My third thought was 'oh Merlin, what am I going to tell Ginny'. I'm sure you know the theory of male-pregnancies. I don't think I ever believed in soul-mates, but I knew I had just been given a miracle. Ginny decided it wouldn't do for the whole world to know about the infidelities in our marriage. We took a year long vacation around the world and told everyone Ginny was pregnant. We agreed that I would never treat James as anything but my own son, and she would extend the same courtesy to you. I should have known such an arrangement would never work.

"Ginny was a steadfast believer in soul-mates and the male pregnancy theory concerning them. She could never quite get over the fact that she wasn't my soul-mate and that Draco Malfoy of all people could make me happier than she ever could. And- well you know how she treated you. I wanted to leave her, but then she had Lily who was truly our child and I couldn't bring myself to go. When you were five the Malfoys went through a nasty divorce and Ginny decided to tell Astoria about you to help her case. Until that point, I had never told Draco you were his son. When he found out, the two of us had a nasty row and stopped speaking to each other. He wanted rights to you as his son, I didn't want you to know how unstable our family was and forbade him from coming near you under pain of death.

"I've been planning to divorce Ginny for a while now. Draco and I have been talking and we were planning on exploring what could be between us. This thing between you and Scorpius-"

"Has been going on since our fifth year," Albus said softly. "There was always something pulling us to each other, at first I thought it was love, but now I'm not so sure."

"Al, if your heart says it's love, then nothing else matters."

"He's my brother!" Albus snapped. "My brother... blood matters. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think. You've- you've lied to me for so long. I- I just..."

"I'm sorry, Al. Truly I am. I should have told you. I shouldn't have been so blind not to notice what was between you two. I've made so many mistakes none of which 'sorry' can fix, but I am."

"Mistakes? That's the understatement of the fucking century! You lied to me and let me fall in love with my own brother. I'm having a baby by my own brother! My mind keeps telling me how much of a sick, sick fuck I am. My heart is telling me it doesn't matter because I love him so much. And then my mind is back to calling me a sick fuck. How could you do this to me! Never mind making me grow up in a house where I was hated by my supposed mother, but to keep something this important from me!"

"What was I supposed to do? The lie had grew so much and dragged out so long, I didn't even know how to tell you anymore. I figured I would let you live out your days in blessed ignorance."

"You should have told the truth from the beginning and none of this would have happened."

"Albus, if you truly believe you and Scorpius was meant to love each other, do you think knowing the truth would have changed anything."

"Yes! It would have let me know he was my brother and thus off limits. It would have prevented 'brotherly' love from becoming so warped and twisted."

"Pure-bloods interbreed all the time, Al."

"Interbreed to cousins or distant relatives. Even pure-bloods aren't incestuous!"

"What do you want me to do, Albus? Do you want me to say that what you and Scorpius have is sick and wrong? Do you want me to demand he gets rid of your child? Do you want me to lock you up and forbid you from ever seeing him again? Who am I to interfere with matters of the heart, Albus? I already admitted to making a mistake in not telling you the truth from the beginning. I'm not about to make another mistake by denying you your happiness. And I know Draco feels the exact same way. Draco and I- our roles are over now. The cards are in yours and Scorpius' hands now, you have to choose whats best for yourselves. Go with what makes you happy."

* * *

 

Scorpius was waiting just inside the gates when Albus apparated to Malfoy Manor. The gates opened magically and Al strode inside and came to a stop in front of the other teen. Silver eyes met green and so much was said without speaking a word. As if having the weight of the world on his shoulders had finally become too much for him, Albus collapsed into the waiting arms of Scorpius- his love, his life, his brother.

"Just you, me, and baby."

 


End file.
